Murderer in Town
by Nicole-sama
Summary: A case of murders have left the investigation team clueless. None of the victims were connected. All signs pointed toward a serial killer who just picked at random. Join Arthur Kirkland, head of the investigation, and his team of crime solvers as they try to solve this mystery before the killer picks his next victim. UsUk Some other pairings too. Character death
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Ok so I wanted to update once before I headed out of town but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think up a story. I was running out of time when boom! I got a story! Let's hope it's as good as I think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot.

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Prologue:

A scream pierced the air. It was high, shrill, and short lived. The empty country side was quiet once more, just as it had been seconds before. The body of a blonde girl fell to the floor. Her blue eyes were open as was her mouth; her face a clear picture of fear. A deep cut to her throat had blood pouring out from it. A man stood above her. A big, insane smile graced his lips, which were the only thing of his face not covered by the black hood that fell over his head. A blood soaked knife hung in his hand.

"A pretty little thing you are," he whispered. "It was a shame you had to die, but I needed you to. This is the only way to get his attention..."

* * *

Chapter 1:

"Arthur!" I looked up at the sound of my name. I clenched the file of the most recent victim of 'the Ignotis', as we have recently began to call it. Harriet Binds. 16. Her father and mother are divorced, and she had a little brother.

"What?" I asked rubbing my forehead. Matthew Williams, who had called my name, looked at the papers in my hands. His dark blue eyes filled with tears.

"They've finish the autopsy and have requested your presence." Matthew said as he looked away and wiped his eyes. I stood up and walked up towards him. I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know it's hard," I whispered to him as I walked out toward the meeting room. Everyone I passed had a gloomy expression on their face. The Ignotis case was getting to them. The meeting room itself was gloomy. It's grey walls and black carpet didn't help the mood either. There were five others in the room besides me. Alfred Jones and Francis Bonnefey were both investigators. Antonio Carriedo and Kiku Honda, who were my analysers, and Lovino Vargas was the undercover inside man. I closed the door and all eyes turned to me. Each pair of blue, black, green, and brown eyes had a faint ring under them from lack of sleep.

"So," I asked, sitting down in the chair at the head of the table. "What did you find?"

"Nothing from the ordinary." Kiku replied, and Antonio nodded in agreement.

"The same death as all the others: a deep cut to the throat." Antonio added.

"No fingerprints, hairs, footprints, cloth scraps, or anything that could be of value of this investigation."

"Looks like our killer did his homework," Alfred added, smiling at me. I was tempted to shout at him, but I knew he was only trying to lighten the mood. Sadly, it wasn't working.

"Is there anything that can help us connect the victims?" I asked, rubbing my forehead. The sooner this killer had a type, the sooner this investigation could get moving. Both Kiku and Antonio shook their head.

"Nothing. All the victims so far have had nothing in common. Different hair colours, different ages, different genders, different racial type. Nothing can help us determine a type." A sigh rang throughout the room.

"Well I guess that means we have nothing left to discuss." I announce defeated. "Antonio, Kiku, look over the evidence again. Try to find something that can help." The two nodded and headed back towards their lab. "Alfred and Francis," The two perked up as I turned to them, "Go back to the place of the most recent crime. There has to be something there. The killer always makes a mistake. There has to be something they missed. Find it." They nod and scuttle out of the room. "Lovino," he grunted in acknowledgement, "go and see if the local gangs have heard, seen, or know anything. Someone has got to have something." Lovino nodded and began to head toward the door before turning around.

"And what will you be doing, bastardo?" He asked.

"I'm going to head back to my office and page over ever damn file to this bloody case. There is a connection. I know it." I replied angrily, running a hand through my golden blonde hair. Lovino nodded.

"Good luck," he whispered as he left the room. I sighed and collapsed into the chair, trying to gather myself.

"We all need it." I whispered tiredly.

* * *

Once at the crime scene, Alfred and Francis checked and double check the place where the body was found and everything else within a mile radius.

"Nothing!" Alfred shouted as he collapsed on a park bench. 'For a body dumping site, the scenery is quiet pretty.' He thought bitterly. The body had been placed on the grass of a small park with a simmering pond in the middle.

"Do not fret, mon ami, we will find something," Francis replied calmly as he took the seat next to Alfred. He looked out toward the lake which was rippling against the soft wind. "Arthur would love this place," he whispered. Alfred nodded, his mood rising considerably at the mention of his stressed lover.

"Ya," he murmured. Suddenly, a new motivation rushed through his veins. "There has to be something!"

"Or maybe there is nothing," Francis objected as his partner popped up from his seat. "Some people are just that good,"

"You heard Arthur, there's always something!" Alfred exclaimed as he began to dig around through some bushes that were located not too far from where the body had been placed. "C'mon! Help me!" Francis sighed and rolled his eyes before he too knelt down and began to dig through the plants. After several minutes of unsuccessful searching, Alfred gasped. And then he cheered.

"Francis, look!" he practically shouted as he stood up, clutching a piece of paper in his hand. "I found something!" Francis rushed to Alfred side and looked at the scribbled writing on the paper.

"Caterva? That could be anything. It might not even be related to the Ignotis."

"I know that, but it is a lead and we have to follow it. Besides, I happen to know that a local gang in town is called Caterva. Let me call Lovino," Alfred whipped out his cell and began to dial brown haired Italian's number. Francis's mouth formed a thin line in displeasure, but he stayed quiet.

"Hello?" Alfred heard Lovino whisper.

"Lovino, it's me, Alfred,"

"What do you want hamburger bastard? Now is not the greatest time."

"Lovino, I need you to check out the gang called Caterva," There minute of silence before Lovino replied.

"On it."

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A/N: Well? What did you think? Should I continue? Of course I will, but I really do want to hear what you guys think. Please review and tell me. :)

Just a side note:

'Ignotis' means 'unknown' and 'Caterva' means 'gang'. Both are in Latin.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: The mysterious plot bunnies have been busy with me. I actually wrote this before I left town but didn't have a chance to post it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Gracias mis amigos! And without further ado, here's chapter two!

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Lovino walked down the empty streets. He pulled his black coat tighter around his shoulders. He hated this part of town, even if he was a known gang member. Every street Lovino went down felt like he was being watched. Caterva's headquarters were located in the most outer reaches of the town. Lovino had visited a few times, but the place still gave him the creeps. The leader, Ivan the Dark as they called him, had picked a great location for a gang headquarters. No one in their right mind would ever come here. Lovino shivered. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being followed.

He continued walking until he reached the big abandoned warehouse that was the main location for Caterva. He trudged up to the door and knocked three times. A small window opened.

"Whas the passward?" A man with a high squeaky voice asked.

"Signum," Lovino whispered. The window shut and scrapping sounds were heard from the other side of the door as the locks were removed. The door slowly slid open, and Lovino walked inside.

"Whas your besness with Caterva?" The squeaky man asked as he shut and locked the door.

"I need to speak with Ivan, bastardo." Lovino replied, facing the little man.

"Not just anyone can waltz in and-" The man began but Lovino cut him off.

"Tell him Lovino wants to speak with him." The man's eyes widened.

"O-oh! Yes, right away Mr. Lovino! 'scuse me rudeness, I didn't recognise you!" The man said rushing away terrified. "Follow me sir!" Lovino grinned. He had really created a name for himself. The little man lead Lovino down a narrow hallway and approached a carved door. He knocked on the door before cracking it open slightly.

"Mr. Lovino requests your presents, Sir." He whispered, not looking up from the floor.

"Send him in and leave us," replied a heavily accented voice from within the room.

"Yes sir! Right away sir!" The man gasped. He turned to Lovino, still not looking up. "Right in there, if you will. Shut the door behind yaself," With that, he scurried off back down the hall. Lovino took a step into the room, and the door slid shut. He reached a up hand and clicked the lock into place.

"Privet, Lovino. What brings you to my headquarters?" Ivan asked, a sickly sweet smile on his face, gesturing towards a chair in front of him. Lovino sunk into the offered seat.

"I was wondering if you have any information on the serial killer known as the Ignotis?" Lovino asked, cutting straight to the chase, his brown eyes never leaving Ivan's purple ones. Ivan's smile faltered slightly.

"I'm afraid I cannot help you there. But if you were to talk to Yao, he could provide more insight on the topic. He is in charge of who we aid and are in contact with." Lovino nodded and stood up.

"Could you direct me to where Yao is?" He asked.

"Third door down the left hall. You can't miss it," Lovino nodded and headed toward the door. He unlocked and opened it before Ivan spoke one last time.

"Goodbye," Lovino turned to Ivan who waved, the creepy smile still playing on his lips.

Lovino followed Ivan's instructions which lead him to a door that was painted a light pink. Lovino knocked and heard a scuffling sound from the other side. The door opened to reveal a man with long black hair tied into a side ponytail.

"Yes?" he whispered, hiding partly behind the door.

"Yao?" Lovino asked uncertain.

"Speaking," The man replied, opening the door some more. "How may I help you-aru?" Lovink checked both ways in the hall before whispering,

"What do you know about the Ignotis?" Yao visibly paled.

"Come in here," he hissed as he grabbed Lovino's arm and pulled him into the room. Yao then slammed the door and locked it. He pulled Lovino further into the room.

"The walls have ears," he hissed, "the blonde one hears everything." With that, Yao leaned forward and began to whisper. Lovino's eyes grew wider and wider with each word. Horror etched across his face when Yao had finished. He looked at Yao, fear oozing out of him.

"I need to call Arthur!" He gasped as he whipped out his phone, his fingers shaking slightly. "Damn it! No signal!" he cried angrily.

"You won't get any signal here. The nearest place to get a signal is about a mile away." Yao explained quickly. He too was shivering. "And you didn't hear this from me." Lovino nodded and clambered to the door. "Be careful." Yao added. Lovino turned toward Yao.

"Thank you. You have helped greatly." Yao's answer was the door slamming shut.

Lovino ran down alleyways and streets. His breath came out in gasps as he sprinted faster than he had in ages. Finally, after running for about thirty minutes, Lovino leaned against an alley wall. He looked at his phone, and felt a rush of hope when he saw that he had finally gained a signal. He quickly punched in Arthur's number, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Come on," he whispered as it rang. "Pick up pick up!"

"Hello? Asked Arthur's tired voice.

"Arthur!" Lovino gasped. "It's me, Lovino! You need to know-" But he was cut off. Something didn't feel right in his stomach. The phone was flung out of his hand.

"Hello? Lovino, what's wrong? Are you still there? Lovino?" Arthur's voice called out. Lovino opened his mouth to speak, but only a trail of blood dribbled out. Lovino looked down to see a knife protruding from his stomach. A hand clutched the knife's hilt, and the other rested on the top part of his abdomen.

"That was close. I don't want you spilling my little secret." A husky voice whispered into Lovino's ear. Quickly he was spun around, and Lovino let out a piercing scream.

* * *

I flipped through another page of a file on a Ignotis victim. Terry McNab. 23. Brown hair and hazel eyes. His late parents had been divorced and he took care of his underage younger brother. I rubbed my forehead tiredly. Nothing was making any sense. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't seem to find any connection between the victims. The door to my office opened, and Alfred walked in.

"Hey," he said siting down in the chair in front of me.

"Hello Alfred," I replied. "Good job finding the Caterva clue," Alfred beamed.

"Do I get a reward?" he asked playfully. I looked up and he patted his lap. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Only if you sit here. I still need to work." Alfred's face split into a wide grin and he stood up. Once he had taken his place in my plush office chair, I sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled my neck with his nose. I began to look through the next file. Amanda Young. 18. Blonde hair and grey eyes. Parents divorced: father dead mother remarried. She had an older sister and a younger brother. I stared at that file for a while before flipping to the next one. Alfred absentmindedly rubbed circles on my stomach. Rylie West. 34. Brown hair and blue eyes. Divorced parents both live in Canada along with her younger brother. I put down that file before picking up another. Ugine Smith. 27. Red hair and green eyes. Parents had recently filed divorce papers and he was taking care of his younger brother until further notice. I set that one down and picked up the final file. Randy Jackson. 20. Brown hair and green eyes. Lived with his younger brother ever since his parents divorced and got remarried. I sighed.

"What's up Artie?" Alfred asked, using that dreadful nickname.

"No matter how hard I look, I can't find a connection." I sighed again and leaned my head back so that it rested on Alfred's.

"Don't worry sweetie, you'll find something. Didn't you say earlier that there is always something?" I nodded.

"Yes but-" I was cut off by the ringing of my phone. I picked it up.

"Hello?" I asked exhaustedly, rubbing my forehead.

"Arthur!" I heard the voice on the other end hiss. "It's me, Lovino! You need to know-" but then he stopped. I heard him take in a sharp breath before a thudding sound came on the other end, like the phone had been flung from his grasp. I stood up, pulling myself from Alfred's grip.

"Hello? Lovino, what's wrong? Are you still there? Lovino?" I called out desperately. Suddenly, on the other end, a high scream erupted from no doubtibly Lovino. I dashed out of my office and through the halls toward the lab. When I burst in, both Antonio and Kiku turned to look at me funnily.

"Trace this call," I commanded. Kiku nodded and typed a few commands in his computer and an address popped up.

"What's wrong?" Alfred, who had followed me, asked. I looked at the small group of curious faces around me.

"Just get in the car."

* * *

We drove with sirens on, through street after street. Everyone seemed to know something was off. After 10 minutes of speeding, we reached the address gotten from the call. A dark alleyway to the left.

"What is that?" Asked Kiku tentatively.

"Lovino," I answered as I opened the car door and dashed down the alley. When I reached the end, my heart stopped. Those who had followed me shared an intake of breath.

"No!" Antonio shouted. There, placed gently against the wall, was Lovino. His eyes were closed and his hands were folded on his lap. He leaned against the wall as though he was sleeping. He could have been sleeping if it weren't for the stab wound to the stomach. A deep, wide cut that was still bleeding. I frowned and felt tears prickle in my eyes as I looked at the body of my friend. Antonio released a strangled cry and rushed towards the body. No one tried to stop him as he grasped Lovino and pulled him into a hug and began to rock him slowly.

"Lovi, oh Lovi," he whispered, tears pouring down his face. "What has happened to you, mi amor? What has happened?" I felt a few tears start to run down my face at the sight of Antonio clutching his lover. Alfred stepped beside me and pulled me close to him. I laid my head on his shoulder, and together we watched Antonio cradle the body of his childhood friend, his highschool crush, and his partner for life.

* * *

A/N: This is actually turning out pretty good. I had to spend quite some time thinking this over in order to make sure that this story will work out. If it goes as I planned, this story should run pretty smoothly. Let's cross our fingers and hope it turns out. Please review, and I hope you enjoyed!

Translations:

Signum (Latian)- password

Privet (Russian)- Hello

Mi amor (Spanish)- my love


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: While I was outa town I had some spare time so I took the opportunity to write, so here's the next chapter! :)

* * *

Antonio took the next day off. After nearly having to knock him unconscious to take Lovino's body from him, no one had the heart to ask him to examine it. The next day, I sat in my office, head in my hands. A rapping sound on my door brought me back from my thoughts and I looked up to see Francis standing in the doorway.

"Bon jour, mon cher. How are you doing?" He asked, walking up to my desk.

"One of my men got killed by the Ignotis while following my orders. How do you think I'm doing?" I asked, dropping the file I had been holding. Francis looked at me sadly.

"How do you know that his death was even related to the Ignotis?" He asked. "Lovino was in a dangerous part of town. Anyone could have killed him." I sighed.

"I know that Francis, but I also know that his death wasn't an unrelated one. Lovino knew something and got killed for it." I replied. "The key is what he knew, but Caterva won't speak to us." Francis opened his mouth to speak but the door creaked open and cut him off.

"Hey," Alfred said, walking into the room. Francis frowned in displeasure and angrily excused himself from my office. Alfred pulled a chair next to mine and sat down.

"Baby," he began slowly, "What's wrong?"

"Everything!" I cried, the stress finally making me crack, "Everything is wrong! Lovino's dead and we haven't gotten any further in the case and I can't find a connection between the victims!" I choked up. Alfred pulled me off my chair and onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around my waist and gently rubbed my stomach as though to calm me. It worked. I felt myself relax into my lover's arms.

"You'll find something," Alfred whispered, his breath tickling my neck.

"Alfred, I don't think there is anything!" I exclaimed. "All of their physical appearances are..." I trailed off as something occurred to me.

"What is it Artie?" Alfred asked concerned, gently squeezing me at my sudden silence. I pulled myself from his grip and picked up the discarded files that were scattered across my desk.

"Physical appearances, no, but what about..." I murmured as I re-read all the files.

"That's it!" I screamed. Alfred visibly jumped.

"What?" he asked as he too stood up and joined me at my desk.

"We've only been looking at physical appearances for a connection. We haven't been looking at other things! All the victims' parents are divorced and they all also have a younger brother!" I looked up excitedly. "We've done it, Alfred! We've found a connection!" Alfred looked confused for a moment before breaking out into a huge toothy smile.

"Yes!" He cried, pulling me into a tight hug and spinning me in a circle. After setting me down, Alfred planted a big kiss on my lips. "We may get this guy yet!"

* * *

After Arthur had discovered the family connection, everyone had taken the rest of the day off. Since Lovino's death still hung heavily in the air, Arthur had agreed to let everyone go home and rest up. So everyone filed out of the office for a well needed rest. Everyone except Matthew. Matthew still couldn't bring himself to leave. Even though he hadn't known Lovino very well, it was still difficult to know that he wouldn't be showing up for work anymore. Matthew stood in the meeting room in front of the board with all the information of the Ignotis case on it. The victims' information, the places where the bodies were found, basically anything to do with the case. Matthew looked from man to woman, confused to why the killer picked these people. Sure, they all had divorced parents and younger brothers, but Matthew couldn't help and feel that there was something more to the story. Matthew listed all the victim's names in his head. Amanda, Randy, Terry, Harriet, Ugine, and Rylie. He stood there, deep in thought. What else did they have that would make the killer choose them. Then something occurred to him. Quickly, Matthew wrote down all the victim's names. Amanda, Randy, Terry, Harriet, Ugine, and Rylie. He stared at their names for a moment. Matthew scrambled up the letters of their names, trying to find a word or phrase in them. Each attempt he scribbled out. That is until he looked at the first letters of their names. A-R-T-H-U-R. Arthur.

"Oh god," Matthew whispered, placing a hand to his mouth in shock at his newest discovery. He stumbled back and knocked over a stack of papers sending them across the floor. The killer knew and was after Arthur!

"I have to warn him!" Matthew decided out loud. Matthew turned toward the door before the sound of crunching paper rang throughout the room. Matthew paused, a chill running up his spine.

'No one else should be here,' he thought. Suddenly an erie voice ran throughout the now not empty room.

"Allo, mon ami," The familiar voice said. "You do realise that you know too much to live, right?" Matthew didn't wait any longer before he took off running.

* * *

A/N: And there's chapter three! What do you think of it? Please review and tell me what you think. Those reviews make my day. :) Until next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Ok, I'm back! Sorry it's been a while. My procrastination caught up with me. Writer's block did not help. But after a couple of weeks and a lot of hard thinking, I managed to finish. Yay! Here's the next chapter!

* * *

After arriving in my quiet little home, I made myself a cup of tea and settled myself in a comfy chair with a book. After the most recent break in the case, I was ready to relax for a while. After an hour of pure bliss, a hurried knock pounded on my door. I groaned and stood up to answer it. Before I had even reached the door, it burst open and Matthew stumbled in.

"Matthew?" I asked confused. I placed a hand on his stomach and back to help steady him.

"Arthur," he croaked. "You're in danger! Need to-hide!" And then he collapsed into my arms. I looked at my hand which had been on his back and my eyes grew wide at the sight of a familiar red liquid. Blood. Carefully I moved Matthew's unconscious body to my couch. I rushed to my bathroom and pulled out the first aid kit, desperate to tend my friend's wound. I pulled out some bandages and after cleaning the wound I wrapped it up to stop the bleeding. In my rush to bandage Matthew, I didn't realise I forgot to close the door until footsteps at my doorway alerted me that it was still open. I looked up and turned around to see a very familiar person standing in my doorway.

"Looks like the cat is out of the bag, mon cher."

* * *

Since Alfred lived close to the station, he could walk to and from work. So after Arthur had allowed everyone to return home, Alfred had decided to go for a walk. He walked to the neighbouring park and sat on a wooden bench.

'I wonder what Arthur's doing?' He wondered. 'Maybe I could spend sometime with him!' Alfred reached towards his pocket for his phone only to find it empty.

"Shoot" Alfred whispered. "I must have left it at the office."

Alfred paced the fifteen minute walk back to the office. He opened the door, surprised to find it unlocked. Shrugging that off, Alfred moved toward the meeting room. His phone was exactly where he left it, on the table in the center of the room. The room itself was not at all how he left it. A stack of papers had been scattered across the floor. Alfred walked up to the discarded papers, confused to how they had ended up spread out across the floor. Upon reaching that end of the table, Alfred notice a single paper on it. Alfred picked in up and saw that on the top, the six victim's names had been written in hurried, shaky letters. Below the names, more half words had been written, but those had been crossed out before they had been finished. Even lower still, a single word had been written but was not crossed out. It wasn't even a word. It was a name. Arthur. Alfred felt a chill run down his spine. The person who had been writing had drawn a line to the first letter of the names at the top of the page and ended it at each letter in Arthur's name. Alfred's eyes widened. The victim's names spelled Arthur's. Then something occurred to Alfred. Something he hadn't thought of before. All the victims had divorced parents and a younger brother. So did Arthur. Alfred felt his blood run cold as he remembered something else; something so insignificant and easily forgotten, spoken not even two days ago.

'Arthur would love this place.' And then everything clicked.

"Damn!" Alfred shouted angrily, picking up the phone he had come to retrieve. How had he not seen it before? The more Alfred thought about it, the more it made sense. He hadn't been with them when Lovino had been killed, nor when they retrieved the body. He had helped find the Caterva connection but had dismissed it as nothing. Whoever had been writing down the names must have knocked down the stack of papers and the fact that the door hadn't been locked suggested that they had rushed away as if they had been chased.

'Chased where?' Alfred wondered, all the facts swirling in his head. His eyes widened. 'To Arthur's!' Alfred punched in Arthur's number and he held the phone to his ear, already rushing out the door.

"Pick up Arthur!" he whispered, but instead of Arthur's sweet, safe voice, Alfred got voice mail. That was defiantly not a good sign.

"Damn it!" Alfred cried as he slammed the door to building shut. "Damnit! Arthur!" Alfred practically shouted to the sky as he began to sprint towards Arthur's tiny house. "Please be safe! Please be safe from-"

* * *

"Francis." I said, slowly backing away from my oldest friend who was covered in specks blood. "What is the meaning to this?"

"Do you not understand?" Francis asked, tilting his head to the side, his blue eyes cold and insane. "This is for you, mon cher. This all has been for you. Since I first met you I have loved you. But you have been too blind to notice. I followed you everywhere you went. I even followed you to this career. But even when we both had become police officers, you still paid more attention to your cases then me. So I wondered what to do," Francis stepped forward. I took a hurried step backwards.

'If I can reach the dresser drawer, I can pull out the gun I have stashed in there.' I thought quickly. Francis moved closer and I moved back.

"And then it hit me," Francis continued. "If you only paid attention to your cases, then I should become your case!" Francis reached behind his back and pulled out a revolver. I froze. Francis smiled. "So I killed a person; another breathing, living, human being, someone who walked and talked. Someone with friends and a family: a mother, a father, brothers and sisters. All just so you would notice me. But it didn't work. So I killed another, the same way as the first. But," Slowly Francis's smile faded, a stern look replacing it. "Even that didn't work! You and that stupid American started seeing more of each other and soon there was no room in your heart for an old friend. So I killed again and again, each time securing more and more of your attention. More and more of your time. Just like I wanted." I stepped back in shock and my back hit the wall. The dresser I needed was several feet away, and there was no way a could reach it without making a break for it. Francis smirked when my back collided.

"Everything was going to plan until that stupid little slip of paper with my gang Caterva was found. Everything was fine until you sent in Lovino to find out anything he could. It all could be as it was if Lovino didn't have to stick his nose where it didn't belong. He knew too much. I had to take care of him." I gasped.

"You killed Lovino?" I asked infuriated. "How-how could you? He was our coworker. He was our friend, Francis! How could you?" Francis shrugged, as though we were talking about the weather.

"Once you have killed a person, whether none or a thousand follow makes no difference. Besides, after six people, you finally made the connection that they all had younger brothers and divorced parents. You finally made progress. And then Matthew had to go and find the final connection that was suppose to be unknown for a while. Unfortunately, I was unable to silence him before he warned you. Oh well. Where is he by the way?" Francis asked stepping even closer to me. I flinched.

"Nowhere," I said, my voice quivering. Francis smirked and stepped even closer.

"Don't worry," he whispered drawing even closer to me. "You already know my secret. What could I gain from harming him further. Besides, with that kind of bullet wound he won't last past 5 without proper treatment." Francis took one finally step and closed the distance between us. "And you know what Matthew found out? The final piece to this puzzle? I spelt your name with the victims'. I picked out people, just like you. I killed them in cold blood just so I could use their names to create yours." Francis leaned in, his warm breath tickling my nose. "I did this and all I have ever done, I've done for you. Everything. All with you in mind." He placed one hand on my chest. The other still held the gun. My eyes darted over toward the dresser. If only I could reach-

"Don't even think about going for the gun Arthur," Francis said, his voice husky. "Or I will turn around and kill Matthew, who is lying on your couch," Francis pointed the gun towards the couch Matthew was on as if to confirm this fact, "I will shoot, Arthur, and this time I will not miss. So, think this over thoroughly." I squeezed my eyes shut, blocking out the reality.

"You're crazy." I told him. Francis chuckled. He leaned forward so his mouth rested next to my ear.

"Crazy barely covers it. Deranged perhaps. Obsessed too. And defiantly insane. Insane in love." He bit my ear. I flinched and he kissed it in apology. He then leaned back and looked me in the eyes. His blue eyes held nothing but pure puppy love in them.

"I love you," he whispered. "I always have. I always will. I love you Arthur." I looked away, unable to face Francis's pleading.

"I'm sorry Francis," I muttered. "I'm sorry I never realized." The gun fell from Francis's hand as he dropped it to bring both his hand up to my shoulders. He opened his mouth and-

"You know, you really shouldn't leave the door open," Came a voice from the doorway. BANG! A shot rang through the air. Blood splattered across my face and Francis stumbled, his eyes wide in shock. And then he tipped and fell on top of me. I placed my hands on his shoulders to keep him propped up. I looked behind him to see Alfred standing in the doorway. Suddenly my eyes began to fill with tears, even though crying was the last thing I wanted to do.

"Alfred," I choked out. Alfred jogged up to me and took Francis's body and laid him on the ground. He then swept me up in his arms and held me tight.

"Shh," he whispered sweetly, "I'm here now. It'll all be ok."

"Is he... Is he... Dead Alfred?" I whispered, burying my face into Alfred's chest.

"Nah," he said calmly. "I didn't hit anything vital. He'll be knocked out for a few hours, but that's enough time to get him shipped out to the looney bin." Suddenly a soft groan split though the air.

"Matthew!" I gasped. I dashed towards the couch and kneeled beside it, Alfred close behind.

"Ugh, Arthur?" Matthew whispered opening one eye. "What happened? Where is- Are you ok?" he asked hurriedly. I forced out a little laugh.

"It's fine Matthew. Everything is fine."

* * *

Epilogue: 3 mounts later

Autumn had arrived. The cool, sharp winds proved it. I had found a lonesome park bench facing the nearly frozen pond to rest at. Colorful leaves danced around me as they fell. I sighed, not quite taking in the beauty. It had been a rough few months. After rarely appearing at the office for the last three months, Antonio and finally resigned. He decided to return to Spain. Matthew, who had fully recovered, took his place after he received a promotion. And Francis, he was charged with seven cases of first degree murder, but plead guilty due to insanity. He was going to spend the rest of his life in the Hank Mental Institution. Finally, after a total of five months, the Ignotis case could be brought to a close. I sighed, huddling closer to myself to keep the chilly wind out. Suddenly, a warm arm wrapped around my shoulders, alerting me of another's presence. I looked over to see Alfred sitting beside me.

"Hey," He whispered, pulling me closer to him. "How are you doing?"

"Fine I guess," I replied tiredly.

"You don't sound fine and sure don't look it." Alfred noted. I sighed again.

"It's just... A lot has happened in the past few months. A lot has changed. I'm still getting used to the changes." I mumbled in answer. Alfred nodded in understanding.

"I know it's tough," he whispered. "But there will always be a sunrise, even after the darkest of nights. And besides, now we don't have a case. That means more free time. More us time." Alfred lightly kissed my cheek. I half smiled.

"I guess your right," Alfred grinned, and kissed me on the lips. I leaned into the kiss and Alfred's smile widened. The buzzing of my phone interrupted us. I answered it.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Arthur?" Came Matthew's voice from the other end, "We need you and Al down at the station. We just got word of a murder on fifth street."

"Be right there," I replied before hanging up. I looked at Alfred.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Looks like 'us' time is going to have to wait." I answered. "We got another case."

Fin

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A/N: Wow, it's finished. I can't believe it. And it didn't turn out half bad. I'm actually impressed. Again, I'm sorry for the delay. A few pushed deadlines and before I knew it I was a couple weeks behind schedule. I kept saying, "I'll post this week. I'll post this week." But I never did. Until now. And I'm very pleased with the final result. I hope you enjoyed, I sure did. Until next time! Please review! :)


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